Reinforced garment



March 3, 1942. A. c. BIDDLE REINFORCED GARMENT Filed Aug. 2'7, 1938- Patented Mar. 3, 1942 UNITED ST f- TENT FFICE REINFORCED GARMENT New York Application August 27, 1938, Serial No. 227,050

2 Claims.

This invention relates to the reinforcement of garments.

It is an object of my invention to provide improved reinforcements for garments and more particularly for the crotches thereof.

It is another object to provide a crotched garment with means for enhancing the strength and comfort thereof.

It is a further object to provide a reinforcing patch for the entire crotch area and so attached as to reinforce the fly.

Another object is to provide a combined crotch and fly reinforcement.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear as the description proceeds.

'Ihe invention may be better understood upon reference to the following description and the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front perspective elevation of a garment embodying the invention, a portion being raised to reveal certain details.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken substantially as indicated by line 2-2 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary outside elevation of the portion of the garment reinforced in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken as indicated by line 4-4 in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken substantially as indicated by line 5-5 in Fig 3.

Fig. 6 is an exploded View of the sections of which my reinforcing patch may be formed.

Fig. `7 shows the parts of Fig. 6 secured together in the form of a patch.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, I have selected, merely for the purpose of illustrating my invention, a pair of shorts including a waist band I 0, body section II, and leg portions I2, the material of the leg portions being joined by stitching I3 forming an inseam I4 which at I5 forms the lowermost and rearmost extremity of the crotch I6 of the garment.

The material of the garment is originally separated from a point substantially midway of the inseam I4 to the waist band IIJ, and, in the formation of the garment, is seamed as at II a short distance upward from the inseam, by means of stitching I'Ia, leaving overlapped hemmed borders or flaps I8 defining a fly open- .shown at 31.

garment that the present invention was devised. The reason that this section is weak is that it is located where rubbing should be a minimum, and, as a result, it is undesirable to have heavy stitching which may project inward and chafe the wearer.

Another weak portion of the garment is the lower part of the ily opening, at the juncture of the flaps with the seam I'I.

In accordance with the present invention, I provide a patch 22 which covers substantially the entire crotch area from the inseam portion I5 to a place somewhat above the bottomof the fly flaps. To this end I employ a generally square piece 23 which is adapted to line the crotch from a point somewhat above the bottom of the flaps, substantially to the top of the seam Il, and a second piece 24 adapted to line the remainder of the area to be reinforced. The pieces 23 and 24 may be configured in various ways, of which I have shown a preferred form.

In accordance with the illustrated form, the section 23 may be of generally square shape with its lower edge 25 preferably in the form of a shallow V. The other section 24 in accordance with a preferred form of the invention may be of generally rectangular form with a slit 21 extending part way down from the top edge 28, which may be one of the longer edges of the piece 24. The slit 21 may be of such extent that its edges 29 have a combined length substantially equal to the length of the V-shaped edge 25 of the piece 23. As shown in Fig. 6, the pieces 23 and 24 are planar, but it is obvious that when the edges 29 are stitched to the edge 25, as shown at 3I in Fig. '7, they form a patch which is non-planar and, in fact, which completely conforms to the natural shape of the crotch area I6 to be reinforced, when the garment is worn. The pieces 23 and 24 are stitched together with the margins 34 so arranged that when the patch is secured in place the margins 34 are on the inside, so that the exposed surface of the entire patch within the borders thereof is as smooth as a single piece.

The patch may be secured in place at the lower elongated edge 33 thereof by the garment inseam stitching I3; from the center of the edge 33 to the center of the seam 3l by the stitching 35 of the garment seam Il; to unseamed portions of the garment by a line of marginal stitching 36; and to the lower flap portions by bar-tasking as Thus there is provided substantially a single stretch of cloth, preferably linen, which protects the wearer from the roughness of the garment inseam I4, seam I 'I and inner flap I8, may be made of two pieces of simple shape, securely attached by the regular garment stitching and requires substantially only a single line of stitching to secure its border in place.

The stitching 35 holds the patch in close conformity With the garment crotch area, providingl in effect a double thickness and avoiding looseness. The patch embodying the invention is of such simple construction and is so fastened as to require a minimum of operations in its formation and securement.

Although I have mentioned linen as a desirable reinforcing material because of its strength and absorb-ing quality, any other suitable material having the requisite qualities may be employed. The patch may be made of more than two pieces, but preferably two are employed since they involve only one seam and may be shaped to conform to the area to be reinforced and accordingly the patch may be made accurately and, in fewer operations. I have illustrated :a pair of shorts for exemplary purposes only, since obviously the invention is applicable to 'anycrotch or other area to be reinforced.`

Various changes coming within the spirit. of

my invention may suggest .themselves tothose skilled in the art, and hence I do not wishto be limited to the specific formsshown and described or uses mentioned except to the extent indicated by the appended claims, which are to be interpreted as broadly as the state of the-art will permit.

I claim:

l. A garment havinga crotch, front flaps eX- tending upward from said crotch to form a iiy opening, a seam dividing said crotch below said fly, an inseam at thelower end of said dividing Y seam, anda linen reinforcing patch lining .said

crotch, said patch being of the same non-planar shape as said crotch to conform fully therewith in all conditions of shape of said crotch, means uniting said patch to the lower ends of said iiaps and uniting said flaps with each other, the stitching of said seam and inseam uniting said patch with said crotch, a continuous line of stitching joining the remaining edges of said patch to said crotch, said patch consisting of a pair of upper and lower planar substantially rectangular sections, the upper section being disposed above said seam, said lower section having a slit, the margin of said slit being extended in a substantially continuous line and co-extensive with an unslit margin of the upper section, and stitching joining said margins so as to impart to said patch a non-planar shape, said margins being disposed between the exposed surface of said patch and said crotch, the entire exposed surface of said patch being substantially smooth.

2. A garment having a crotch, an inseam .at a lower part of the crotch, a seamiextendingsforward and upward from saidinseam, a pairoffly-forming aps extending upward from .said seam, and a permanently non-planar linerrreinforcing patch conforming to said crotch andcoV- ering the inner side of said seam'andthey adja cent portions of said flaps, thestitching forming said seam joining said patch thereto, the stitch-y ing forming said inseam joining. said4 patch thereto, stitching joining said adjacentportions y of said flaps to each other andto-said patch,'saidV patch comprising planar sections joined together by stitching disposed Vbetween the exposedfsur:

face of said patch and the crotch, the entire lexposed surfaceof said patch"being :substantially smooth,

ARTHURA C. BIDDLE. f 

